Skip to content

Interdisciplinary CurriculumCurriculum

Your learning stays with you.

Support Independent Learning

© 2026 Commensurate Ventures. All rights reserved.

Interdisciplinary CurriculumCurriculum

AP Biology

College-level biology covering the four Big Ideas: Evolution, Energetics, Information, and Interactions. Aligned to the College Board AP Biology Course and Exam Description. Prepares students for the AP exam and potential college credit.

14 Units

45-60 minutes per unit

What You Will Learn

College Board Aligned

Covers all AP Biology CED units — from biochemistry to ecology — at the depth required for the AP exam.

AP Exam Preparation

Stimulus-based questions, experimental design analysis, and free-response reasoning practice throughout.

College Credit Potential

A qualifying AP exam score can earn 4-8 college credits at most universities.

All Units

Chemistry of Life

Explore the chemical foundations of life, including water's unique properties, carbon's versatility, and the functional groups that determine molecular behavior.

•Explain how hydrogen bonding gives water its life-sustaining properties
•Describe how carbon's bonding capacity supports the diversity of organic molecules
•Identify functional groups and predict how they affect molecular behavior
+1 more objectives

Biological Macromolecules

Examine the four classes of biological macromolecules — carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids — and how their structure determines their function.

•Describe how monomers are linked into polymers via dehydration synthesis and hydrolyzed by water
•Explain the structure-function relationships in carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids
•Predict how changes in primary structure of proteins can alter protein function
+1 more objectives

Cell Structure and Function

Compare prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell organization, explore organelle functions, and trace the endomembrane system's role in protein trafficking.

•Compare and contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell structure, explaining the significance of compartmentalization
•Describe the structure and function of key organelles in eukaryotic cells
•Trace the pathway of a secretory protein through the endomembrane system
+1 more objectives

Membrane Structure and Transport

Investigate the fluid mosaic model of membrane structure and the mechanisms by which cells control what enters and exits across the plasma membrane.

•Describe the fluid mosaic model and explain how membrane composition affects fluidity and function
•Distinguish between passive and active transport, predicting direction and energy requirements
•Explain osmosis and its consequences for cells in different tonicity environments
+1 more objectives

Cell Communication

Analyze how cells receive, transduce, and respond to chemical signals through signal transduction pathways, and how feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis.

•Describe the three stages of cell communication: reception, transduction, and response
•Compare signaling pathways that use intracellular receptors versus cell-surface receptors
•Explain how signal amplification occurs through enzyme cascades in transduction pathways
+1 more objectives

Investigate how plants and other photosynthetic organisms convert light energy into chemical energy via the light reactions and the Calvin cycle.

•Describe the light reactions, tracing the flow of energy and electrons from water to NADPH
•Explain how the Calvin cycle uses ATP and NADPH to fix CO₂ into organic carbon
•Analyze how environmental factors (light intensity, CO₂ concentration, temperature) affect photosynthetic rate
+1 more objectives

Cellular Respiration

Trace the complete breakdown of glucose through glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation, and understand fermentation as an anaerobic alternative.

•Describe glycolysis, identifying inputs, outputs, and net ATP yield
•Explain pyruvate oxidation and the Krebs cycle, tracing carbon and electron flow
•Explain how the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis produce the majority of cellular ATP
+1 more objectives

Cell Division: Mitosis, Meiosis, and Regulation

Examine the cell cycle, mitosis, and meiosis as mechanisms for accurate DNA inheritance, and analyze how cell cycle regulation prevents cancer.

•Describe the phases of the cell cycle and the checkpoints that regulate progression
•Trace chromosome behavior through each phase of mitosis and cytokinesis
•Compare mitosis and meiosis, explaining how meiosis generates genetic diversity
+1 more objectives

Mendelian Genetics and Inheritance

Analyze hereditary patterns using Mendelian principles, probability, pedigree analysis, and chi-square statistics, including extensions that explain non-Mendelian inheritance.

•Apply the laws of segregation and independent assortment to predict offspring ratios
•Solve genetics problems using probability rules and Punnett squares for mono- and dihybrid crosses
•Interpret human pedigrees to determine inheritance patterns of genetic traits
+1 more objectives

Molecular Genetics: DNA, Replication, and Expression

Trace the flow of genetic information from DNA replication through transcription and translation, and analyze how mutations alter gene function.

•Describe the mechanism of DNA replication, including the roles of key enzymes
•Explain transcription and the processing of pre-mRNA in eukaryotes
•Describe translation, including the roles of mRNA, tRNA, and ribosomes in protein synthesis
+1 more objectives

Gene Expression and Regulation

Explore how cells control which genes are expressed, from prokaryotic operons to eukaryotic chromatin remodeling, epigenetics, and post-transcriptional regulation.

•Describe how the lac operon functions as a model of prokaryotic gene regulation
•Explain how eukaryotic cells regulate gene expression at multiple levels — chromatin, transcription, post-transcriptional, and post-translational
•Define epigenetics and describe how DNA methylation and histone modification affect gene expression without altering DNA sequence
+1 more objectives

Evolution: Natural Selection, Population Genetics, and Speciation

Analyze the evidence for evolution, mechanisms of natural selection, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium as a null model, sources of genetic variation, speciation, and phylogenetic analysis.

•Describe the mechanisms of evolution including natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, and mutation
•Apply Hardy-Weinberg equations to calculate allele and genotype frequencies and identify deviations from equilibrium
•Explain how reproductive isolation leads to speciation, distinguishing allopatric and sympatric mechanisms
+1 more objectives

Ecology: Populations and Communities

Analyze the dynamics of populations and communities, including growth models, carrying capacity, species interactions, and succession.

•Apply exponential and logistic growth models to real populations, identifying limiting factors
•Analyze survivorship curves and life history strategies to predict population change
•Describe major types of species interactions and predict their effects on population dynamics
+1 more objectives

Ecosystems: Energy, Matter, and Biodiversity

Trace energy flow through trophic levels, analyze biogeochemical cycles, and examine how human activities are altering ecosystems and driving biodiversity loss.

•Explain how energy flows through ecosystems via trophic levels, and why energy is lost at each transfer
•Describe the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles, identifying key transformations and reservoirs
•Analyze how human activities alter biogeochemical cycles and threaten biodiversity
+1 more objectives

AP Biology. College-level course aligned to College Board CED. Replaces standard Biology.